Strawberry Fields, Forever

Long before the lottery became popular, Americans were looking for ways to “get rich quick”. In the 1840’s people rounded up everything they owned and headed west because gold was discovered in California. After that gold was found in several other places. Eventually, the U.S. needed silver for dollars and that set up an explosion of silver-mining in Leadville, Colorado and characters like Horace Tabor were suddenly enriched. As is usually the case, a few individuals stumbled upon incredible wealth, but most of the money-seekers were lucky to earn a living.

But in spite of the general failure of the masses to strike it rich, this country offers incredible prosperity to its people. We have hundreds of self-made billionaires, millions of self-made millionaires and countless hoards of middle-class citizens earning enough money to live in their own homes, drive their own cars and enjoy certain luxuries like home-delivered pizza, TV, and exciting vacations. But who gets what, and why?

Why do some people do so much better than others? I am currently writing a book about family finances and these are the types of questions we explore in the book. Among the primary points contained therein is that people need to create value for themselves. They can do that through education, training, experience, entrepreneurism, skill, enthusiasm, people skills, natural talent or even just plain luck. We even offer a public education system to get everybody headed in the same direction. But in spite of the fact that we all get pretty much the same basic training, there is an incredible range of outcome: some thrive while many languish or even sleep under bridges. Why?

A lot of it has to do with the artificial limits we place on our selves, just like the grasshopper in the jar. So some people try harder than others, who essentially give up, without ever fulfilling their potential.

Let me illustrate my point by telling you a story.

There were twin boys whose father was a very rich and honorable strawberry farmer. One year the boys reached the age where the father expected them to earn their keep so he made them work on his farm. By the end of the season, they had planted and grown acres and acres of strawberries. Then it came time for the harvest.

At the end of the first day they had picked mounds of strawberries to take to the market and they were so very hungry from their day’s work. The father handed them both a very large bowl and told them that from that day on they could have all of the strawberries they could pour into their bowls. So the boys each poured as many strawberries into their bows as they could and they feasted like kings.

The next morning one of the boys got up to work in the field and he noticed that his twin brother was missing. A couple of hours later the missing boy showed up, dressed in a tuxedo and accompanied by the town's attorney. The attorney knew the farmer was an honorable man and he proceeded to tell the father how generous he was for giving the boy all of his strawberries from that day on.

The other twin was shocked to hear the attorney’s words and he was especially confused when he saw a big smile on his father’s face. Then the farmer explained it all to the confused twin. “I have been ready to retire and today I found out who to put in charge.”

The farmer continued, “Last night I gave you each a bowl and said that from now on you could each have all of the strawberries you could pour into your bowl. You got a giant scoop and ate your fill and then you went to bed.” The confused lad said, “I did the same thing as my brother, so why are you turning the farm over to him?” And the farmer said because he is so much wiser.”

Then the farmer took out a bowl like he had given his sons the night before and he scooped up a large bowl of strawberries and paused; then he poured the berries into a box and got another scoop and did the same thing and then he did it once more.

It was at that moment that the confused boy understood what his dad was telling him and what his twin brother had already figured out: Namely, you can pour all of the strawberries in the farm into the bowl if you keep refilling it again and again.

When the wise boy realized he was entitled to "all" of the strawberries on the farm, he sought out the attorney to help him make it final. Then the farmer, the wise boy and the attorney signed all of the papers, making him the owner and manager of the strawberry farm.

The difference between the two boys is that the successful boy saw abundance where the confused twin saw scarcity. The same is true for people in America and all over the world. We think we only have one bowl of money so we can only eat so many strawberries. But the truth is there is a lot more money out there than it first seems like. We just have to learn how to refill our bowl more often and stop living in a world of scarcity.

Up next: How you can fill your bowl again and again.

By the way, I wrote the strawberry story. What did you think of it?

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